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Author's Chapter Notes:

I've edited the story a bit and combine the chapters so that it has seven long chapters instead of 14. Hope you enjoy and won't complain too much. :) *newer edit* Whoops! Didn't realize it wasn't completely edited.

Kevin took a sip from his root beer as he looked through the crowded mall for his wife to return and for Leighanne’s arrival.  His head buzzed with curiosity as he recalled their conversation just an hour ago.  He had tried once again to get in touch with Brian so that the group could get together to talk about business, but again, Leighanne had been evasive as to her husband’s whereabouts.  He’d had enough.

 

“Leighanne, is something wrong?”

 “N-no.  Nothing’s wrong, Kevin.  Brian just-“

 “Hasn’t answered his phone.  Leigh – “ It was impossible to picture, but in this day and age, who knew? “Has Brian been… unfaithful?”

 A quiet gasp. “No!  No, he would never do that.”

 Her sharp answer said that she spoke truth, which brought relief since Brian was not the man to do such a dreaded thing.  But there was still something she was hiding.

 “Then what is it?” he tried again. “Why doesn’t Brian ever answer the phone?  Where is he?”

 “I… he’s…”

 His gut clenched.  “Tell me.”

 After nearly a minute of silence, “Baylee and I are in Los Angeles.  Can we meet somewhere to talk?”

 Fear began to flutter its big wings in his chest.  This was not adding up well.  “The Avenue.  Kristin was planning to head there in an hour for a big shopping day.  I could go with her and meet you in front of Cinnabon.”

 “One hour.”

 

 The chair skidded noisily as Leighanne sat across from him.  “Sorry I’m late.”

 He waved her apology away and pushed the cinnamon roll he had bought toward her.  She left it untouched, swinging the baby stroller around so she could check on her infant son.  Satisfied that little Baylee was asleep, she turned to Kevin and smiled.

 “How are you, Kevin?”

 So she didn’t want to get into it right away.  He had suspected that would be the route she would take, but had hoped otherwise.  “I’m fine.  What about you?” He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. “You look tired.”

 She waved it off. “A new baby; I’m learning to adjust.  But like my dad says, it’s the hardest job you’ll ever love.”

He nodded. “Brian must be loving it.  Is he helping you out?”

Her immediate reaction to glance at the baby almost went unseen if Kevin hadn’t been looking for it.  “Of course he is.”

Kevin sighed.  He’d have to push.  “Then why isn’t he around whenever we’ve tried to call?”

Leighanne started fiddling with her bracelet.  That wasn’t good.  According to Brian, she only did that when she was nervous.  Or hiding something.

He put a hand over hers.  “What is it, Leigh?  You said he wasn’t cheating on you, and I believe it.  Is there some other secret you’re hiding?”

To his surprise, Leighanne scowled. “You’re a fine one to talk about keeping secrets.”

Kevin sat back at the anger in her voice. “What are you talking about?  I don’t-”

“The amulets.”

He stared, his mouth falling open.  Brian being unavailable, Leighanne’s knowledge of the amulets… this did not bode well.  “How do you know about them?”

“So you’re not denying it.”

 “Not with that look on your face.  And if it has to do with Brian, I need to know.”

 A look of sadness filled her eyes as she looked at her son again. “A man found us.  Brian called him Zaltor, or something like that.”

Kevin froze, eyes wide.  Please no.  He swallowed. “Zator.  What happened?”

Keeping her eyes on Baylee, Leighanne told her story in a quiet voice.  “It was a week before Brian’s birthday.  We had just finished breakfast.  Brian was outside shoveling the driveway so I could go to town and pick up his birthday present.  I had gone into the nursery to check on Baylee when someone wrenched my arms behind me.  I screamed.”

Kevin leaned forward again, his heart in his throat.

“He told me not to scream again or my son would die.  But Brian had heard me.  I heard him running up the stairs, calling my name…”

 

~~

 

Brian stopped in the doorway and froze in shock.

 “Hello, Top Speed,” her captor greeted.  It was a deep voice, foreign accent.  Where was he from?  Who was he?  And what was Top Speed?

 “How did you find us?” Brian finally asked.

 “You know him?” Leighanne demanded.

“My daughter is not the only one able to find you, human,” he said condescendingly. “And how amusing that you’ve kept the amulet secret even from your mate.”

 Brian’s hands clenched into fists, his bright blue eyes darting to her, then back up to her captor.

 “You know why I’m here, Top Speed.”

 Again with the weird name, yet it was now obvious he was talking to Brian.  But Brian only glared at him.

 ”I won’t give it to you, Zator,” Brian replied firmly.

 “You are not in a position to refuse me, human,” he snapped. “However, if you insist on being foolish, say goodbye to your family.”

 Leighanne felt the point of a pistol in her back right over her heart.  She gasped, arching her back, but this monster held her firm, yanking her away from the baby’s crib.  He barked out in a foreign language, and a second man just as tall and as strong as her captor appeared from behind them and moved to the crib, a gun in his grip.

 “No!” Brian cried, stepping into the room. “Let them go!”

 “Give me the amulet!” Zator snarled.

 Leighanne watched Brian’s eyes settle on her, then to Baylee and back to her.  She could see in his eyes that he had made a decision.  Her stomach knotted tightly.

 “I’ll make you a deal, Zator,” Brian began.  “You let them go, and you can have the amulet… and me.”

 Leighanne gasped. “Brian, no!”

 Zator made a thoughtful noise.  After a while, he spoke.  “Would I have your willing service to me and only me?”

 Brian nodded.  “Yes.”

 “Then it’s a deal.”  Zator shoved Leighanne toward Brian.  He caught her as she stumbled and held her tightly.  Leighanne’s eyes went immediately to the crib.  Baylee looked unharmed, but she couldn’t be certain.

 “You have twenty-four hours to say goodbye,” Zator charged.  The wall clock said nine-fifteen a.m.

 Brian nodded, and the couple watched as Zator and his servant vanished in two beams of light.  Brian held his wife tightly in his arms, both of them thinking about the decision that was about to change their lives.

 “Brian, why?”

 Brian looked down at Leighanne.  “Leighanne, he would have killed you both.  He’s a monster.  I wanted to keep you safe.”

 “But if you go with him, we’ll be separated anyway.”

 “Leighanne, I love you,” Brian said.  “I don’t want your blood on my conscience.  This will be better for both of us.”

 “But Brian—“

 Brian’s kiss cut off her protests.  It was too soon when he broke off, tears in his eyes.  Leighanne watched him head to the crib.  Baylee cooed as his father took him in his arms.  Brian kissed the boy’s small head and rocked him.

 “I love you Baylee,” he whispered. “Don’t forget me.”

 

~~

 

“Brian told me everything that day,” Leighanne finished. “He showed me his amulet, how it changed him.  It’s been nearly three years he’s kept this from me.”

 “It was for your safety,” Kevin explained. “I haven’t told Kristin, either.  But now that…” He still couldn’t believe it.  “Now that Brian is… with Zator… maybe I should tell her.  Brian left the next morning?”

 Her eyes filled with tears.  “He was gone before I woke up,” she whispered.

 Kevin glanced at his watch when it beeped the hour and noticed the date as well.  His eyes widened. “Leighanne, you mean to tell me that Brian has been with Zator for an entire month?”

 She closed her eyes and nodded.

 Myriad situations flew through his mind.  With Brian working for their enemy, Zator could well be planning his final assault on earth.  He could have lied and was torturing Brian for information about the other amulets as Kevin sat there.  Perhaps Brian was actually a prisoner, used as bait to draw the rest of them in.

 Kevin sighed. Regardless of whichever situation was true, they had to get Brian back.  At the very least, he needed to be with his family again.  He would not let Baylee grow up without a father, especially at this most crucial time in the baby’s life.

 “Leighanne, come stay with Kristin and I,” he offered. “There’s plenty of room and you wouldn’t have to worry about hotel expenses for whatever you need to do here.”

 She protested at once. “No, I don’t want to be a hassle on you.”

 Kevin leaned forward and gripped her hand again. “Honey, you’re family.  I take care of my family.”

 He waited while she thought about his offer, glancing at the baby every few seconds.

 “Okay.”

 

~~

 

Howie Dorough entered Kevin’s living room one day after receiving the emergency page.  Nick and AJ were already there.

 “Is Brian on the way?”

 Kevin swallowed. “That’s why I sent the page. I finally got the story from Leighanne of why Brian was never around when we called.”

 “So what’s going on?” Nick asked.

 Kevin glanced up the stairs and spotted the guestroom where Leighanne and Baylee were sleeping.

 “We haven’t heard from him because he hasn’t been home.”

 “What about the cell phone?” AJ asked. “He doesn’t answer that either.  He always takes it with him when he leaves.”

 “Not this time.”

 “Why not?” Howie pressed. “Where is he?”

 “With Zator.”

 The room went silent.  Kevin slowly gazed at each one of them before motioning them to sit as he sat in his own brown leather armchair.

 “With Zator?” Nick repeated.

 Sighing, he revealed, “He’s been gone for a month.”

 Nick’s eyes widened. “A month?”

 “What happened?” AJ demanded.

 “Somehow,” Kevin began, “Zator found out where they live, and, a week before Brian’s birthday, came to their house.  He threatened death to Leighanne and Baylee if he didn’t give up the amulet.”

 “He didn’t give it up?” Nick demanded.

 “Worse,” Kevin replied. “Brian offered his service and the amulet in exchange for his family’s safety.”

 “His service?” Howie repeated.

 Kevin nodded.  “According to Leighanne, Brian left the next morning.  He’s been serving Zator ever since.”

 The four men were silent as they considered Kevin’s words.

 “But… why?” AJ finally wondered. “Doesn’t Brian know what could happen?”

 “My guess is that Brian felt the risk to his family’s safety was too great,” Kevin theorized. “He wanted to protect them.”

 “Protect them?” Nick countered. “Working for Zator won’t protect them!  Zator now has one amulet in his service.  You remember what Zanell said: Even one amulet in the hand of evil can cause mass destruction.”

 “Well, there hasn’t been mass destruction yet,” Howie disputed. “So we should still have time to get Brian back.”

 “We can’t do it alone,” Kevin said. “Nick, you know how to contact Zanell, right?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Find her,” he instructed. “See if you can get her to come back here.  We need her help.”

 

~~

 

The setting sun cast a purple-orange glow through the window, casting a light on the box-shaped holo-communicator Nick was hooking up.  Zanell had given it to him just before she left to return home, her planet Zophacia.  She had told him the proper codes to use to look for her and ones to leave a message in case she wouldn't answer the call.

 "Please be there, Zanell,” he whispered as the holographic screen appeared, full of static.  The machine beeped twice and a red light began to blink. He sighed; she wasn’t there.  He typed in the proper code to record, then straightened and began to speak.

 "Zanell, it's Nick. We need you to come back to Earth; it's really urgent. You know how to locate me by searching for my amulet. I'll be wearing it the next several days, so please hurry. Not only that, but I'd like to see you again. I miss you."

 He hit the button to end the connection and sighed longingly. He really did miss her. That kiss they had shared the evening before she left had made him realize just how much he was in love with her. With a shake of his head, he turned and left the room.

 Nick entered the living room to see Kevin sitting in a leather armchair holding little Baylee.  He choked back tears seeing the little one so small, without his father. He made a silent, solemn promise to himself, to Baylee, and to God that he would get Brian back.

 He cleared his throat. "I tried to contact Zanell."

 Kevin looked up. "Any luck?"

 "She didn't answer, but I left a message.  I told her it was urgent and that she needed to come back immediately."

 Kevin nodded and was silent for a while. Baylee burbled and Kevin picked up his rattle, waving it in front of the boy's face. Baylee laughed and reached for the rattle.

 "Brian should be doing this," Kevin said, "not me."

 Nick sat down on the couch near Kevin.

 "Nick, I'm afraid."

 "Afraid?" Nick asked after a minute.

 Kevin nodded. "What if we don't get him back? If we fail, Nicky... we may never see him again."

 Nick sat back in surprise. This was a shock to hear Kevin openly admit a fear like that to anyone, let alone to him.

 "Kevin," Nick began, "we're not going to let that happen. We're going to get Brian back. You hear me? We're getting him back."

 Kevin looked up at him and slowly smiled. "Thanks, buddy."